Masquerade Party.............

Hello everyone: Once again I'm rushing to get a card on a couple of challenges, here it is, hope you like it.

All the images here are from a Verve stamp set called "Masquerade".

The pattern papers are from my stash, the images are die-cut and stamped, some fussy cut too. 

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This is how the INSIDE of my card looks like.

The images on the inside are from a Power Poppy set called "Marcella's Mixtape VOL.1"

I'm playing along with the following challenges.

The Paper Players

Sunday Stamps

Thank you for stopping by today.

Hugs.

Maria.

Green Triplets..........

Hello everyone: I'm almost out of time to post this card, I was going to do it yesterday but, well.......stuff happens, you know how that goes, right?

Anyway, here's a card featuring some of my most favorite plants.

These 3 succulents are from a My Favorite Things set called "Sweet Succulents"

I stamped them on watercolor paper with Stazon black ink and colored them with SU markers, I added some Rhine Stones for a little bling on the pots.

The pattern papers are from a retired line from Lili of the Valley.

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This is how the INSIDE of my card looks like.

The border is from a retired SU set called "Delicate Details", the sentiment and the little pot are from a Power Poppy set called Sassy Succulents.

I'm playing along with the following challenges.

Inspired by.......

Try it on Tuesday

Go Green or Recycle something.

Try Stamping-or not- on Tuesday

Thank you for visiting me today.

Hugs.

Maria.

It's a Beautiful Day!!!!!!!!

Hello everyone: It's still very much Winter up here in the Midwest so, I'm here with another flower card for the RETRO RUBBER CHALLENGE, to bring a little bit of color into my very cold and gray days while I wait for my garden to wake up!!

These images are from the 2015 Altenew set called Beautiful Day

I stamped the image on a panel of white card stock with Stazon gray ink and colored it with only my Prismacolor pencils. I added a few enamel dots from Gina Marie Designs, the sentiment is from the set.

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This is how the INSIDE of my card looks like.

The border is from a retired SU set called Delicate Details, the sentiment and corner leaf are from the Altenew set.

I hope you come and play with us at our RETRO RUBBER CHALLENGE.
Please remember that at least one of the stamps you use should be OLDER THAN ONE YEAR, and if you can, we would love it if you can tell us the age of the stamps you used for your card.

I hope to see you in our gallery real soon.
Thank you for stopping by today.
Hugs.
Maria.

I See Seashells by the Seashore............

Hello everyone: I know that most of you up in the Northern States can't wait till warm temperatures get here, I'm really longing for warm, sunny days, preferably at some beach where the only cold thing would be a drink in my hand, just like it says in that song by Kenny Chesney called No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem......, I hope you check it out, it's fun and will most definitely, make you jealous😉!!

These little shells are from a very old Flourishes set called "Seaside Life", it was released in July 2009, I probably bought it right away or soon after it came out.

The set has bigger images of all of these little ones and a few really thoughtful sentiments.  I stamped them on a panel of watercolor paper with Versafine black ink, clear heat embossed it and colored it with SU markers.  

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This is how the INSIDE of my card looks like.

The sentiment is from a 2010 SU set called Whimsical Words.

I'm sharing this card at:

"Less is More"

Simon Says Stamp

"Add a Sentiment"

Just Us Girls

Thank you for visiting me today.

XO

Maria.

Let's Party!!!!!!!

Hello everyone: I'm rushing to have this card finished to enter a few challenges.

It's been a bit of a busy morning, I had to do a water change on my 75 gals. marine tank, clean the filter, windows inside and out and clean up my kitchen after all of this is done.

I've been itching to ink up these adorable mice from the SU set called "Sweet Storybook" from the 2018-2019 annual catalog for a long time but you know how it goes....you buy a stamp set, it arrives and then.....you put it away on a designated place in your craft room and, well....you forget you have it until you find it again and you wonder why it's been neglected.

But anywho, I love these pair of friends and the fabulous "Amanita Muscaria" or

"Fly Agaric" mushroom in the background.

I stamped all the images on white card stock, color them with my Prismacolor pencils, put a bit of painter's tape behind the mice tails to make them a bit sturdier and fussy cut them.

I stamped a bit of grass to give the mice something to stand on, using the bottom of the Mallard Duck in the retired Stampin' Up! set called "Wilderness Awaits", the sign and the sentiment are from Purple Onion, and the balloons, string, and bows are from the retired SU die set called "Balloon Pup-Up".

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This is how the INSIDE of my card looks like.  

The border is from a SU set called "Bordering Blooms", the sentiment from a Power Poppy set called "Sassy Succulents" and the little mushroom in the corner from another Power Poppy set called "Natural Beauties".

I'm playing along with the following challenges.

The Paper Players

As You Like It Challenge

Your favorite animal and why.

I really love all animals but mice are just so adorable, I see them outside my kitchen window, going back and forth from the bird feeders, no matter the weather. I wouldn't want them inside my house though, they belong outdoors.

Krafty Chicks Challenge #495

Clean and Simple.

Thank you for visiting me today.

Hugs.

Maria.

Let's Have Some S'more Fun............

Hello everyone: The DT over at SHOPPING OUR STASH has a new challenge for you to play with and the theme is "The Great Outdoors", so dig up your Nature or Outdoorsy stamps and come and join my teammates and me in our gallery.
This is the card I made and, believe me, I'm longing for warm afternoons, sitting around the fire pit in our backyard, roasting (burning) hot dogs with the grandkids and, of course, making some S'mores.

These sweet images are from an old set (2013) called, what else? "S'more Fun".  I stamped the images on Strathmore Bristol paper with Versafine black ink and colored with Windsor&Newton watercolor markers, a set of 12 that my granddaughter Vanessa gave me last year, I love the intensity of the colors.

I did a bit of masking right there where the little yellow daisy is "behind" the S'more, the little birds and branches are from an Altenew set called "Birch Land" I sponged the edges with distress inks for the grass and sky, the pattern paper is from a retired line from Lili of the Valley, I've been hoarding this paper, I love it, most of all because it's ONE-SIDED.

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This is how the INSIDE of my card looks like.

The sentiment is from a Power Poppy set called "Sassy Succulents", (2014) and the little cluster of flowers from an old Flourishes set called "From the Garden" (2012).

I hope you come by the SHOPPING OUR STASH challenge blog and check out my teammates' beautiful creations, get inspired and play along with us in our gallery.

I'm playing along with the following challenges.

Crafting Happiness Challenges

Anything Goes/Food or Drink.

Dream Valley Challenges #219

Hand Colored Images.

Gem of A Craft Challenge

Anything Goes.

Thank you for visiting me today.

Hugs.

Maria.

The Perfect Pears.........

Hello everyone: I have a couple of cards I made to participate again in one of my favorite challenges.  The Twofer Challenge is one of a kind out there and I always have loads of fun creating my cards.  The DT comes up with the best themes and the challenge is to create two different cards, for two different occasions using the same stamp.  You really have to get creative and give your imagination a good workout, so here are my cards, it took me the better part of this morning to finish them, here they are together.

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This is my first card.

These luscious pears are from a 2011 Flourishes set called "Pears".

The images were stamped with Memento black ink on Strathmore Bristol paper and colored with Prismacolor pencils.  The sentiment took some doing, I had to take one of the sentiments from a Power Poppy set called Summer Berries and only use the "you are" on it and then, take one of the sentiments on the "Pears" set and tweak it a bit, stamping the word "PEAR" and then, masking the first 3 letters from the word "Perfect" and only use the last 4 letters, to create the word "PEAR-fect", clever, uh?

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This is how the INSIDE of this card looks like.

The sentiment is from the Power Poppy "Summer Berries" set and the little pear from the "Pears" set.

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Here's my Twofer.

I really wanted to use these pears to make a wedding card so, I just used two of the fruits, the one on the left is the "Groom", the one on the right is the "Bride" and I stamped them with gray Stazon ink and also colored them with Prismacolor pencils only, I went very light on the pressure to make it a bit softer.

I used a very old SU embossing folder, (the name escapes me) and to make this panel more Wedding like, I added some pearls to the centers of the flowers.

The sentiment is also a combination of both sentiments on the front.

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This is how the INSIDE of the second card looks like.

The border is from a retired SU set called "Delicate Details", the sentiments are from a SU set called "Beautiful Bouquet", I think these words are just perfect for a newlywed couple who are just starting their life together. 

I put one of the little pears in the corner, I just love it.

I'm playing along with the following challenges.

Twofer Card Challenge

CAS(E) this Sketch

CCC Digi Creations

Thank you for visiting me today.

Hugs.

Maria.

A QUICK NOTE.

I apologize if you are having trouble leaving a comment, I turned OFF the word verification thingy but some of you have told me at times, it appears, I'm so sorry for it but I think it's Blogger being a pain.

I also had to change the "Comment Moderation", I asked at a Blogger forum about the difficulties with comments and they suggested to change it so I get a notification when someone leaves a comment and then I go and publish it.

Anyway, thank you for stopping by.

Hugs again.

Maria.